A violent attack on Narsingdi District Jail, during the quota reform movement, resulted in a massive jailbreak on July 19.
Armed assailants set fire to the prison and broke open cell locks, letting 826 prisoners, including nine militants, to escape.
The attackers looted weapons, ammunition and food supplies while causing extensive damage to the facility.
The next day, the aftermath of the attack and the extensive vandalism was evident throughout the jail – the compound was littered with debris, and many structures were in ruins.
Authorities indicated that it could take a year to restore the facility to a habitable condition due to the extensive destruction.
How the attack happened
The prison is located near the Dhaka-Sylhet highway in Velanagar. For days, students had been protesting nearby for quota reforms. On July 19, thousands gathered, but few were regular students. At around 4:30pm, the crowd moved towards the jail, throwing brickbats and petrol bombs, before attacking the main gate.
Multiple guards and eyewitnesses described how the assailants had broken through the gates and stormed the prison, wielding sticks, locally made weapons, firearms, and tools like crowbars and axes.
They overwhelmed the guards, stole their keys and unlocked several cells, breaking others open.
In the chaos, the prison was filled with smoke, and 826 inmates, including members of the banned militant groups JMB and Ansarullah Bangla Team, escaped.
The attackers also snatched and looted 85 weapons and 8,150 rounds of ammunition from the armoury and the guards.
Two witnesses said the attackers had broken open the prison gates with tools such as crowbars and machetes.
They set fire to the entrance to the main cell and freed the inmates by breaking open the locks. They then set fire to the prison hospital.
The situation remained tense from the afternoon until 8:30pm that day.
Guards said the prisoners had managed to escape in a very short time. Among them were nine members of the banned militant groups JMB and Ansarullah Bangla Team, including two women.
They added that some prisoners, reluctant to escape, had been beaten and forced out of the jail.
Convicted prisoners fled in their prison uniforms. After the guards withdrew, the attackers broke into the armoury and stole weapons and ammunition.
They also looted food supplies inside the prison and took money from the inmates.
Scenes of destruction
A Saturday afternoon visit revealed that the entire facility looked like a ruin.
There was no way to distinguish the inmates' living quarters, kitchen, condemned cells and offices. There were burn marks and disarray everywhere – it looked like the remnants of a battlefield. The doors and windows were broken, and in some places, the fire from the previous day was still burning. The walls bore burn marks.
Entering the offices of various officials, this correspondent saw that documents had been burned. Many pieces of furniture had been set on fire. The cells of the prisoners were open. The garden inside the prison was also in a state of disrepair. The prison staff and officials were in plain clothes.
The entire area, including the office, kitchen, inmates' living quarters and condemned cells, bore the marks of fire.
Curious locals were seen wandering around inside the prison.
A witness described the escape saying: "As they left, many prisoners spoke to the local people. One prisoner told me that he had been sentenced to 24 years in prison. He had served 10 years and was now taking the opportunity to leave."
Another witness reported that it had taken the attackers at least 20 minutes to break through the prison gate and enter. According to this witness, “the prison guards took no defensive action and did not even fire at the attackers. However, the number of assailants was quite large, amounting to several thousand.”
In the afternoon, a few prisoners were seen inside. They were wandering around the unguarded prison with fear and anxiety.
One prisoner, speaking on condition of anonymity, said he had been sentenced in a murder case, and his sentence was almost over. “If I escape now, I will become an accused in a new case. I did not run away out of fear of additional punishment."
Another prisoner convicted in a drug case said he had only two months left in his sentence, and if he had escaped, he would have to serve a new sentence. “So I did not escape even though I had the opportunity to do so."
"Those who attacked the prison did not remotely look like students. Those of us who did not want to escape were forcibly pushed out through the jail gate. After the attackers left in the evening, we re-entered the prison and spoke with the jailer and the jail superintendent."
Kamrul Islam, the jailer of the prison, said: "When the keys were snatched from the prison guards, they were also beaten up. The keys were taken to the cells, opened and set on fire. Despite a 140-year history of internal prisoner revolts, this is the first time prisoners were taken away in an external attack. In their assault, 20 out of 75 prison guards were injured."
In response to inquiries, Jail Superintendent Abul Kalam Azad said: "The attackers took us hostage in a very short time. Before we could reach the armoury, they looted weapons and ammunition from there. Despite seeking help from the district police, we received no response."
Suspension of prison officials
Azad and Kamrul were suspended on Tuesday, Deputy Commissioner Badiul Alam said.
Earlier on Sunday Kamrul filed a case against unidentified individuals with Narsingdi police station, citing that 10,000 to 12,000 people had participated in the attack, with about 1,000 entering the jail, the DC added.
Badiul said announcements were being made in various areas urging escaped prisoners to surrender. "They are coming back one by one. We believe most of the inmates will voluntarily surrender," he said.
Home minister’s visit
At 2pm on Tuesday, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan visited the prison, accompanied by senior officials, including secretaries, Inspector General of Prisons Brigadier General AFM Anisul Haque and Superintendent of Police Md Mostafizur Rahman.
At the time, the minister briefed reporters on the damage done. He termed the attackers enemies of the state and said an operation was underway to capture them.
Asaduzzaman said in order to understand why this incident had occurred, if there had been any negligence or if anyone had aided the attackers, two investigation committees had been formed.
“The IG of prisons has formed a three-member committee, while the Security Services Division has constituted a six-member committee. Anyone found negligent will be brought to justice."
Surrender
As of Thursday afternoon, 326 of the 826 escapees had surrendered to the court concerned, according to the Narsingdi District Bar Association.
Inmates have been surrendering over the past few days.
According to police sources, five fugitives have surrendered at police stations, and four have been arrested in police operations.
The treasurer of the district bar association, Ahmudul Haque, reported that inmates started surrendering to the court on Monday.
“On Tuesday, 138 surrendered, followed by 123 on Wednesday and 65 on Thursday. Among them were several convicts and murder case defendants.”
SP Mostafizur said in 24 hours, six more weapons looted from the prison armoury and guards had been recovered.
“To date, 39 weapons and 1,067 rounds of ammunition have been retrieved. The operations to recover the remaining weapons and ammunition, and to arrest those involved, are ongoing.”